Japan's lower house chief denies accusations of inappropriate relations with the Unification Church, but refused to publicly discuss the issues surrounding the religious group that have dampened the popularity of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga answers questions from reporters on April 26 about the results of three Diet elections held the previous day. (Koichi Ueda)
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party suffered defeats in all three parliamentary elections held on April 25, the first national-level polls since Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga took office in September.
In particular, the LDP’s loss of the Upper House re-election in Hiroshima Prefecture, which was held in the wake of an unprecedented vote-buying scandal, underscored harsh public criticism of money politics.
Suga should take the message from voters seriously and make a sweeping review of his governing approach.
TOKYO - Japan s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) suffered a stunning setback in three by-elections on Sunday (April 25), in what was Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga s first parliamentary electoral test since taking office in September last year.
The by-elections were held to fill one Lower House seat in Hokkaido and two Upper House seats in Hiroshima and Nagano. All three seats – including the LDP stronghold of Hiroshima that the party had seen as its best bet of victory – were won by candidates supported by the main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP).
Political watchers say the polls serve as a bellwether for Mr Suga s political fortunes with two make-or-break elections in the coming months. Mr Suga s tenure as LDP president - and hence Prime Minister - will expire on Sept 30 and rivals may smell blood if his standing as a leader comes into question.
Candidates backed by the Opposition parties won all three parliamentary elections, the results showed on Monday, dealing with a severe blow to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.The outcomes of Sunday s races, the first since Suga was inaugurated in .
Apr 26, 2021
OSAKA – Sunday’s triple victory by opposition-backed candidates in Hokkaido, Nagano and Hiroshima by-elections had been predicted by local media before the polls closed and may have little immediate impact on the national political landscape.
But the Hiroshima loss in particular could spell trouble for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and the ruling parties in the coming weeks as they look to boost their popularity ahead of a general election, which must be held before October.
“Regarding yesterday’s elections, I humbly accept the judgment of voters,” Suga said Monday morning.
In the Hiroshima Upper House race, Haruko Miyaguchi, a 45-year-old former broadcaster backed by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), beat Hidenori Nishita, a 39-year-old former trade ministry official endorsed by the Liberal Democratic Party and backed by Komeito. She got 370,860 vote